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Cuccos (コッコ,Kokko?, ) are a recurring animal species in the Legend of Zelda series. These small domesticated birds are usually found in flocks in peaceful places such as villages, ranches, and castles. Despite the name "Cucco", they are not related to the real cuckoo and are based on normal chickens. In fact, it could be said that "Cucco" is simply just the Hylian word for chicken.

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Overview

Cuccos are usually docile and domestic in nature, and are considered quite humorous. However, if Link attacks a Cucco multiple times, the Cucco will become enraged and starts crowing very loudly to call its flock, and together they attack him by flying down from various directions and pecking him to death. Once attacked by a flock of Cuccos, there is no way for Link to protect himself unless he manages to escape in time by fleeing from the vicinity. If he manages to climb on Epona, he will also be safe from their attack. Ironically, in this state of fury, they can be even more dangerous than most real enemies in the games. It is not advisable to, unless near an exit to the area, attack any Cucco in the first place.

Cuccos can also be grabbed by the talons and held overhead, and if Link jumps off a height while holding it, the Cucco's flapping will let him gently float toward the ground. Cuccos are also adept swimmers, highly unusual for a chicken-like bird (however this only applies to Cuccos in Twilight Princess as the ones encountered in Ocarina of Time simply fly off if they come in contact with water).

An exception to the mob of attacking Cuccos is in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess where, if Link attacks a Cucco, the player can control the Cucco rather than Link for ten seconds, though this feature does not serve any real purpose in the game. Wolf Link can also talk to various Cuccos he encounters.

There is also another variety of Cucco first bred in Ocarina of Time, known as the Pocket Cucco. This Cucco has the same appearance as regular white Cuccos, but is compact and can be carried in Link's inventory. Anju also explains that she can handle Pocket Cuccos without it bothering her allergies (as Anju is allergic to normal Cuccos).

In A Link to the Past, Bone Cuccos exists in the Dark World. Bone Cuccos are presumably either reanimated undead Cuccos or simply normal Cuccos that have been altered by the magic of the Dark World. In the non-canon Hyrule Warriors series, Silver and Dark variants exist as well along with white, brown, and gold Cuccos.

In The Legend of Zelda universe, it seems that calling someone Cucco has same meaning as being called a "Chicken" in the real world. This is demonstrated by Ciela in Phantom Hourglass as she refers to Linebeck as a "Cucco" several times due to his cowardly personality. It is demonstrated again in A Link Between Worlds when a resident of Kakariko Village tells Link to not to be such a Cucco. This would indicate that Cucco may actually be the word for "Chicken" within The Legend of Zelda universe (or at the very least in Hyrule and the World of the Ocean King).

Also, if Link repeatedly attacks a Cucco with his sword, a flock of Cuccos will fly in and attack Link until he is killed, escapes the area, or picks up the Cucco he had attacked. This is the first game in the Legend of Zelda series in which this occurs.

In Kakariko Village, Link meets Anju, whose Cuccos have all escaped. Link can bring back the scattered Cuccos for her in exchange for a bottle, or 50 Rupees if he retrieves the Cuccos again. Interestingly, the man inside Impa's house refers to them simply as "chickens."

At Lon Lon Ranch, there is a mini-game called the Super Cucco-findin' Game. In the game, the ranch owner Talon releases what he calls three Super Cuccos into a gaggle of normal Cuccos, that Link must find within 30 seconds. If he can manage to find them all before time expires, he will receive a bottle filled with Lon Lon Milk, or if he has already received this bottle and has at least one empty bottle, he can get one of his empty bottles filled up with milk. Oddly enough, the Cuccos owned by Talon cannot be attacked.

Later on, in the future, Link meets Anju again, and is given the first item in the trading quest for Biggoron's Sword, the Pocket Egg. The Egg eventually hatches a Pocket Cucco, which Link uses to wake up a sleeping Talon. After doing this, Link will exchange the Pocket Cucco for Cojiro, a blue Cucco that belongs to Grog.

In the future in Kakariko Village, there is also a Cucco located in the top of the Windmill. To reach it, Link must use the Longshot from atop Granny's Potion Shop to pull himself up to the lowest opening in the Windmill, while it is not covered by one of the spinning blades. The Cucco can be used to reach the hole in the house above the Cucco coop, but it is easier to simply use the Hookshot to reach the roof of the house and fall onto the platform in front of the hole.

Also, unlike in A Link to the Past, it takes exactly three strikes on a Cucco for a flock of Cuccos to attack him.

A Cucco keeper named Grog can be found inside the Cucco Shack in southern Romani Ranch. Grog takes care of Cucco Chicks and wants them to grow up into roosters before the Moon crashes into Termina. Link puts on the Bremen Mask and marches around, with the chicks following him. When he has all of them following him the mask's power causes rapid aging, effectively turning the chicks into full-grown roosters. The satisfied Grog gives Link the Bunny Hood as his reward.

In the 3DS remake, their is a species of Fish native to Termina called the Cuccofish that lives in the Swamp Fishing Hole. The Cuccofish's name is due to its uncanny resemblance to Cucco as it looks like a cross between a Cucco and a fish. They are said to love marching rhythm and can be lured out by Link by using the Bremen Mask to march around the pond allowing him the chance of catching one with a Fishing Rod. Cuccofish can caught in the Swamp Fishing Hole on the First and Final Days.

Cuccos are similar to those from Link's Awakening. However, two special Cuccos are found on Goron Mountain in Oracle of Seasons. These Cuccos can be used to fly around the mountain if Link picks them up with the Power Bracelet. In Oracle of Ages Cucoos are found in a small hut on Crescent Island.

Malon and Talon also breed Cuccos in North Horon. If Link gives Malon the Cuccodex to help her care for the Cuccos while Talon is away she will reward Link with a Lon Lon Egg.

In the Oracle of Seasons manga, Link has a baby Cucco named Piyoko who follows him everywhere.

Cuccos appear in the mini-game Cucco Wranglers. Cuccos also appear within a Mystery Item obtained at the end of certain stages but only when playing with other people. Once released, it attacks another player and takes some Force Gems, giving them to whoever threw the Mystery Item.

Cuccos can be more dangerous than usual. When Link is Minish-sized, Cucco Chicks will attack him on sight. Additionally, Link can fuse Kinstones with adult Cuccos and one chick hiding on a roof while Link is Minish-sized. They also take part in a mini-game involving Link throwing the Cuccos back into their pen. If Link succeeds in this game, he is rewarded with Rupees. They appear in only Hyrule Town.

Cuccos come in many different colors; notably, there is a special Cucco known as the Golden Cucco that allows Link to fly farther than a regular Cucco would allow him to when held. The aid of this Cucco is required in order for Link to cross the Deep Gorge and return to the Sacred Grove in the latter portion of the game. Wearing the Iron Boots while using a Cucco to fly will cause Link to descend more rapidly due to the increased weight, however Link can remove the Boots mid-flight allowing him to return to descend normally, which makes them useful for controlling the speed of Link's descent while Cucco flying. Also, a Cucco known as the Cucco Leader is in charge of the cats living in the Hidden Village.

While Link is in wolf form, he can speak to the Cuccos, who will state various things like how he smells like forest or that it is odd that the children of Ordon have gone missing. When attacked, Cuccos become controllable for a short time, rather than attacking Link.

Cuccos play an important role in Falbi's Flight-by-Fowl mini-game, which is apparently famous among the Cucco as it is mentioned by Cuccos found in both Kakariko Village and Ordon Village. One of the Cuccos in Kakariko Village mentions that that some of them had escaped from Falbi's Flight-by-Fowl in Lake Hylia and flown to Kakariko Village in order to live as ordinary Cuccos. Another living in Ordon Village, longs to leave their boring life in village in order to debut as one of the Cuccos of Falbi's Flight-by-Fowl and live a more exciting life. If Link talks to one of the Cuccos in Lake Hylia after playing Flight-by-Fowl it will ask him to come and play again.

Another one of the Cucco's in Ordon Village feels that it and its fellow Cucco will be eaten when the kidnaped Ordon children safely return to Ordon Village (in celebration of their safe return), implying that the humans raise Cuccos to be eaten like real world chickens.

Interestingly, the Cucco in Twilight Princess are shown to be capable of swimming (as shown by the Cuccos that end up in Lake Hylia after being used by Link in Flight-by-Fowl). In fact, one of the Cuccos in Kakariko Village can be found bathing in the Hot Spring atop the Elde Inn.

Cuccos must be hit about five times rather than three, similar to the process in Ocarina of Time, before they begin to attack Link. Furthermore, Cuccos only attack Link for several seconds before stopping, rather than pecking him to death.

Cuccos serve essentially the same function as in Phantom Hourglass, although they are found more commonly and are more frequently used, particularly in side quests. Link can buy Cuccos from a man in Castle Town and bring them to a man in Aboda Village to obtain a Force Gem. Link can also bring five Cuccos to Rael at the Sand Sanctuary as part of another Force Gem side quest. Cuccos are also needed at the Sand Sanctuary in order to get to the Stamp Station there located on a smaller island to the southeast. Link must glide over with a Cucco. Cuccos can be summoned from anywhere in the area using the "Song of Birds". Some Cuccos must be lowered from an elevated point using the "Whirlwind".

If Link is being attacked by a Cucco, he can stun it by targeting it with his Whirlwind.

Just like The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Cuccos can be found all over Kakariko Village. If Link repeatedly attacks a Cucco with his sword, a flock of Cuccos will fly in and attack Link. Cuccos can also be found in Thieves' Town in Lorule, however Lorulean Cucco resemble a cross between a Cucco and a Vulture, though they behavior is identical to their Hyrulean counterparts. A blue haired Young Woman in the Lorule's Milk Bar explains that the Lorule Cucco coop got smashed up (presumably by either monsters, thieves, and/or the masked townsfolk), though she reveals she managed to save some Cucco eggs from the coop and is taking care of them. In Hyrule, there is a mini-game in Cucco Ranch. In it, Link has to dodge flying Cuccos for as long as possible. There are normal Cuccos, large Cuccos, and yellow Cuccos that fly above Link and obscure the player's vision. If the 999.99 second limit is reached in endless mode, Link will get 3,000 Rupees. A large Cucco will then appear outside of the ranch, and throws Hearts at Link when he gets close and talks to it. The large Cucco is also shown in the end credits.

Cuccos appear in the Sky Realm and are used by the Links to fly over huge chasms. They are also in the first floor of the Baneful Zone in the Den of Trials. There is a Material item called Cucco Feathers in the game. This marks the first time in the series that their feathers (which commonly appear as part of the Cuccos' in-game animations) are considered an item.

Cuccos appear as items. They can be picked up and thrown at other players. Should a Cucco hit a player after being tossed, a swarm of Cuccos will come to attack the player who was hit. Cuccos also appear in Smash Run with their 16-bit appearance from A Link to the Past, and will call in a swarm of Cuccos to attack any player who attacks them. These Cuccos, unlike the ones that appear as items, cannot be picked up and merely serve as obstacles. In the 3DS version, there are two Cucco Trophies, one representing the Super Smash Bros. item and the other representing the Cucco from Ocarina of Time. The Wii version only has the one depicting the item.

Cuccos are neutral units which can be found periodically throughout the game. They are fairly strong and durable for their size, and attack without warning - coupled with their tendency to appear in groups, they can cause a lot of damage in a short time frame. Players can also meet Gold Cuccos, solid gold variants that have much more health and are harder to defeat.

Cuccos appear in Lana'sSummoning Gate moveset; her special attack involves summoning a giant Cucco to charge through her foes while she rides a normal-sized Cucco to safety. Her victory animation has her petting a Cucco that pops out of the gate, only for another to walk by. Soon, dozens of Cuccos have emerged from the gate, forcing Lana to flee.

Image of the Golden Cucco from Hyrule Warriors

Cuccos appear in some Adventure Mode missions, in a wide variety of roles:

Allied Cuccos: A group of Cuccos acts as allied units. As enemies are defeated, more Cuccos spawn.

Mother and Child: A Baby Cucco and its mother (a Golden Cucco) will spawn in random keeps. The player must escort the baby back to its mother by fending off enemies that attempt to attack it. Once reunited, the pair will summon Cucco reinforcements and assist the player's army in fighting off enemies. If the player fails to deliver the baby to its mother, the latter will go berserk and attack both sides with increased attack power.

Cucco's Revenge: A Cucco will appear and follow the player around, forcing them to be cautious while fighting around it. If it is attacked, the Cucco will become enraged and summon waves of Cuccos to attack. After two waves of normal Cuccos, a Golden Cucco will spawn; defeating this one will end the assault.

Cucco Fight: Two Golden Cuccos will appear in a random keep (although they will never spawn in a main base) and begin fighting for dominance. If left alone, one Cucco will eventually beat the other, promptly taking over the keep and spawning normal Cuccos to begin attacking both sides. If the player attempts to intervene, they will be locked in the keep and forced to survive until the Cuccos calm down.

Feeding Cucco: A single Golden Cucco will spawn in a random keep and begin "feeding". If it is not defeated within a certain time, it will become more powerful (healing itself in the process) and begin looking for another keep to feed at. If left to feed at four keeps, the Golden Cucco will reach the peak of its power and search for another keep to use as a nest.

The Festival of Cuccos: Certain missions on the Adventure Mode maps will have multiple variants of the above Cucco events occur, such as the "Mother and Child", "Cucco Fight", and "Cucco's Revenge" events.

The Master Quest DLC added Silver Cuccos, which look similar to the gold variants, but are rarer and pacifistic, dropping only experience points. So far, there has been no evidence of a "VS Cucco" ability drop existing.

Render of Ganondorf in his Standard Armor (Boss) his Cucco Recolor from Hyrule Warriors

The Boss Pack DLC also introduced a Challenge Mode called Cucco's Fury, which is unlocked after clearing Survival Mode Lv. 3 of Ganon's Fury with an A-Rank. In Cucco's Fury, a Giant Cucco is playable, though it is incapable of using items and has an extremely limited moveset, consisting of only a two-hit pecking attack as its normal combo and a tackle as its Strong Attack. Its Special Attack summons flocks of Cuccos to stampede enemies around a wide area.

Ganondorf's Standard Armor (Boss) is a Cucco Recolor can be unlocked in Challenge Mode as part of the Boss Pack DLC.

Dark Cucco

Dark Cuccos are a Dark Shadowy variant of Cucco that appears as enemies in Adventure Mode.

Cucco also appear Hyrule Warriors Legends and play much the same role as they did in Hyrule Warriors. According to the lore, Linkle comes from a farm village renowned for their Cucco-raising skills. The in-game description for her Crossbows states that the weapons were originally used to defend Cuccos from predation by Wolfos.

In Linkle's Tale: The Girl in the Green Tunic, Cuccos appear as Linkle's allied units. In addition to normal white Cuccos, there are also Brown Cuccos which act as Cucco captains. It is also possible to turn Cucco Chicks into Golden Cuccos by guiding them a Feeding Ground marked on the map.

As part of the Linkle's Awakening DLC, there is a new moveset for Linkle called Boots, which are described as a pair of Winged Boots infused with the power of lightning and the fury of Cuccos. During certain attacks and combos, Linkle can summon her Cuccos to assist her. She can also use Cuccos during certain combos and attacks to briefly fly in order to assist her in performing aerial kicks. Humorously, one of the Cuccos appears in Linkle's victory cutscene and is almost mistakenly stepped on by Linkle, who was distracted while practicing with her boots, causing her to lose her balance as she clumsily attempt to avoid it. As Linkle sits on the ground, the Cucco jumps on top of her head and perches itself atop Linkle head. Several Cuccos also appear in Marin's victory cutscene.